Taylor Adams

Jazz / Lyrical

Miss Taylor Adams graduated from Penn State University in 2013 with a B.A. in History. While at Penn State, she was a member of the PSU Altoona Dance Team, as well as Penn State Dance Alliance and Volé, the Penn State Ballet Club at University Park. She also took a variety of ballet/pointe classes during her academics at PSU. Prior to college, she spent 15 years at a local studio in Bucks County studying many styles of dance including ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, and hip hop prior. She was also a member of her studio’s competition team for 10 years, traveling to local regional and national competitions. Currently, she works for Temple University supporting the James Beasley School of Law. She is looking forward to continuing her dance education and sharing her love for dance with the staff, students, and parents at DTDA!

Donna Marie Ahearn

Acro / Conditioning / Hip Hop / Lyrical

Donna began dancing at the age of 3 in North Jersey . Her training includes Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary , Lyrical , Tap , Musical Theater and Acro. At the age of 7 Donna began dancing for a competition team where she began to expand her dance training and found a passion for the Arts. She has competed and won multiple regional and national competition titles and scholarships with her team and as a soloist. Donna Graduated from Morris County College with a degree in Early Childhood Education. After High School she continued working with children as a preschool teacher while she focused on her dance training in New York City taking classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps On Broadway while she began auditioning & performing professionally for the NJ Nets ,and Pucci Productions where she was a motivational dancer for corporate events and parties. Donna continued to enrich her dance career through choreographing, teaching and performing in New Jersey and New York & Philadelphia . After moving to South Jersey Donna worked for Dance Arts Cherry Hill where she managed the competition team ages 5-18 in Jazz, tap, hip hop and lyrical for 20 years. She has received numerous awards and recognition for choreography ,technique and outstanding performances Her choreography for group routines have been nominated for The Industry Dance Awards for Hip Hop and Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Jazz. Many of her soloists have received top honors including top overalls, scholarships, regional and national title winners. Her choreography has also been performed at the Lincoln Center In New York City and was chosen to audition for the Paula Abdul dance show “Live To Dance” in 2011.

Novae Barnes

Hip Hop

Novae Barnes started dancing at the age of 8 in New Jersey. She moved to Philadelphia to further pursue her passion for dance by joining the I Am Phresh Dance Academy. It was there that she truly fell in love with dance and began her path as a battle dancer. She is currently training for some of the biggest competitions including the Red Bull All-Style Dance Competition. She plans to bring her visions and make her mark in the world of battle dance. Novae is excited to bring her artistry and passion to the dancers of DTDA!

Kaylee Chesla 

Jazz / Jumps, Leaps & Turns / Pom

Kaylee Chesla is a jazz/hiphop dancer from Warminster, Pennsylvania who has been training in various styles for 16 years. Beginning her dance journey at Kelly Richard’s School of Dance where she served as captain for 2 years, she has competed in many different competitions over the east coast. She has attended many clinics and conventions across the country where she learned from world renowned dancers and choreographers. Kaylee founded the Archbishop Wood Dance Team her senior year of high school where she led as captain and choreographer. She became the assistant coach after she graduated which includes choreographing halftime performances. Known for her powerful tricks and movements, Kaylee has earned many special awards and recognition. She continues to share her passion through performing, teaching, choreographing, and coaching and has been asked to teach at many studios across the tri-state area. Kaylee has joined both Empire and Contempire companies this year and was privileged to compete at World of Dance in New York. Kaylee has been offered great opportunities and is excited about what the future holds for her.

Courtney Conigatti

Studio Manager

Combo / Contemporary / Jazz / Jumps, Leaps & Turns / Lyrical

Courtney Conigatti began her dance training at the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City. As a dance major, she studied various styles at The Ailey School under the direction of Hassan Blandford. After high school, she continued her education at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she earned her BFA in Dance. While at the university, Courtney performed works by several esteemed choreographers, including Ronen (Roni) Koresh, Wayne St. David, Douglas Becker, and Sidra Bell. In 2014, she had the opportunity to participate in the “DanceAbility” teacher certification course in Vienna, Austria—an inclusive dance program for able-bodied and disabled individuals under the direction of Alito Alessi. Upon graduating, Courtney performed in Opera Philadelphia’s production of Turandot, choreographed by Renaud Doucet. She is comprehensively certified in Pilates by Ellie Herman and is currently on faculty at The School of Philadelphia Ballet, where she teaches dance and conditioning. In addition to teaching dance and Pilates, Courtney continues to train extensively and works as a freelance dancer. She is passionate about sharing her love for dance and is proud to be part of the Dance Time family.

Brenna Harris

Combo 

Miss Brenna started dancing at the age of 4 in her hometown of Hamburg, PA. Her mom said that she loved Ballet right from the start but not Tap because "the shoes were too loud." Her hometown studio's tradition was to perform The Nutcracker every other year. She’s been many different characters including Coffee from Spain, Tea from China, and a baby coffee from Arabia. Two of her proudest roles were Lead Angel and Clara (often called Marie). In college, Miss Brenna was apart of Knight Club at Arcadia University. She auditioned and performed at the Wells Fargo Center for the Philadelphia Wings. While at Arcadia, she was also able to take a Modern Class and a Yoga Class! Currently, her full-time job is working in the LIfe Enrichment Department at a retirement community. In 2018, Miss Brenna received the Distinguished Service Award for "Service from the Heart". This is her proudest "non-dance" achievement because it meant that all of the residents at her job appreciated her work. Since joining DTDA, she has grown to love and appreciate tap. She took the Adult Ballet, Hip-Hop, and Tap classes. Allison gave her the chance to teach with her and then offered her a teacher spot! Miss Brenna is super grateful for the opportunities that Dance Time Dance Academy has given her!

Steph Herbert

Combo / Hip Hop / Jazz

Miss Stephanie Herbert has been a member of Dance Time Dance Academy from the beginning, dancing in the adult tap and hip-hop classes. She began teaching at Dance Time Dance Academy in the 2018 season. Miss Stephanie is a graduate of Misericordia University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Speech Language Pathology. She was a member of the Misericordia University Dance Team, performing during basketball and football games. Before college, she took many styles of dance including: jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, character and hip-hop. She has been dancing since the age of 3 and has been dancing competitively since the age of 9, even throughout her college years.

Irina Louzganova

Ballet / Pointe

Irina Louzganova was born in 1969 in Tashkent, USSR. From a young age she attended Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, graduating in 1987.  She danced as a soloist and principal for the Russian State Ballet for six years, touring around the globe, performing in places like Russia, Europe, Asia, the United States and more. Her repertoire includes: Nikiya in La Bayadere, The Sylph in La Sylphide, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Cinderella, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle. In 1989, she won first prize in the All-Union Ballet Dancer's Competition. Then in 1992, Irina moved to the United States and settled in Southern New Jersey. She has been teaching students the foundations of Ballet in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey for over 30 years.

Isla Niezgoda

Tap

Isla Niezgoda is a seasoned tap dance artist and educator with a strong foundation in rhythm tap. Her early training in Minneapolis led to her involvement with Keane Sense of Rhythm Youth Tap Ensemble and the establishment of their Professional Company. She has been fortunate to learn from and be inspired by numerous tap masters, including Dianne Walker, Sam Weber, Sarah Reich, Derick Grant and many others. With over a decade of teaching experience in various settings, from dance studios across the country to teaching at the collegiate level, Isla is committed to fostering the next generation of tap dancers. Her commitment extends to the community through her role as co-founder of Fourth Dimension Tap Company, a non-profit dedicated to expanding the art form. Isla joined The Lady Hoofers as a First Company dancer in 2025.

Marianne Sifer

Jazz

Marianne started teaching at the very young age of 13 at a family run studio, The New Dance Studio, started by her brother, professional dancer Gary Flannery. Trained mostly by her brother, Marianne had the pleasure to also study under the likes of Bob Audy, Charles White, Alan Onickel, the one and only Fred Benjamin, Lynn Simonson, Lucas Hoving, Jose LImon, Ginger Garton, the one and only Jean Williams, and Gloria Govern. Mairianne taught at the New Dance Studio for 24 years, Bucks County Community College for 8 years, as well as choreographed their musicals, and various other studios in and out of Bucks County. Marianne has also choreographed many musicals for local High School productions. Marianne is proud to have had many students who have gone on to dance for Division One college Dance Teams, and students who have gone on professionally as Rockettes, Dancers on Cruise Ships, and many who dance, or have danced, at Disney World. Marianne is happy to still be teaching, these days she specializes in Tap, Jazz, and Acrobatics. Marianne is very excited to be teaching at Dance Time Dance Academy!

Jake Simon

Hip Hop

Jake Simon, professionally known as “Jakes fresh” is a dynamic choreographer, performer, and educator recognized for his contributions to the East Coast hip-hop dance scene. With a performance résumé that includes sharing the stage with legendary acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Ludacris, RedMan, Justina Valentine, as well as appearances at major events such as Musikfest, Jake brings authentic energy and style to every performance. Jake has choreographed for numerous dance crews across the East Coast, known for his ability to blend traditional hip-hop foundations with innovative movement. Under his mentorship, his students have consistently earned top honors, including multiple 1st place overalls and highest scoring act of the day awards at competitive dance events.

Kate Sloan

Ballet / Jazz / Lyrical

Miss Kate Sloan has loved being a part of the Dance Time family since the beginning! She has been dancing for over twenty years and teaching dance full time for the past five years. Miss Kate is a graduate of DeSales University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. During this time, she studied various forms and styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary and musical theatre. She studied under professional performers and choreographers through DeSales, as well as connected with many guest artists from around the country. In 2015, Miss Kate had the opportunity to take part and perform in a reconstruction of Doris Humphrey’s famous work Partita V. She also performed as part of New Street Dance group in their 2013 and 2015 repertory, and was a member of the DeSales University Touring Company. This company traveled to local schools to perform and share their love of dance in an educational setting. Beginning in 2013, Miss Kate took part in the organization and development of Dancer for a Day, a program that allows young dancers to experience what dance is like in a pre-professional and collegiate setting. Recently, she has set work on dancers involved in DeSales University’s Summer Dance Intensive, as well as performed in Convergence: Community Harmony Through Dance. She currently teaches dance full time in the Montgomery and Bucks County areas, and sets work on dancers for the Momentum Dance Company.